The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The game has since become widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played".

The game marked the beginning of the NFL's popularity surge, and eventual rise to the top of the United States sports market. A major reason was that the game was televised across the nation by NBC. Baltimore receiver Raymond Berry recorded 12 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown. His 12 receptions are a championship record that stands to this day.


This movie is part of the collection: Classic TV

Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: 1958 NFL Championship, National Football League, NFL, New York Giants, Baltimore Colts, Johnny Unitas, Yankee Stadium, NBC Television, Radio

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Reviewer: HaarFager872 - - February 8, 2012
Subject: How Long Has This Been Here?
This is a must have and I'm surprised to see it here at the Archive. I had heard that no copies survived. I highly recommend it to any football fan. There was a documentary about the game a few years back on ESPN. It used existing footage and interviews with players still alive who played in the game, along with players from the current two teams represented in the game. One point toward the end of the game, the picture was lost and the documentary told how a technician with NBC ran on the field to delay the play a short while until they could get the signal back on the air. I'll be watching for that.